‘Slightly nervous’ Sam Harrop a hit a Presidents Cup

Click here to read the full article…

Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson have shared the PGA TOUR stage for nearly a quarter of a century, and to say they are the two biggest stars of their generation is an understatement. The numbers are overwhelming – a combined 983 PGA TOUR tournaments producing 126 victories, 67 second-place finishes, and countless thrills for golf fans. More memories will be added Sunday when Woods and Mickelson are showcased in The Match: Champions for Charity, a COVID-19 fundraising tournament alongside a pair of other athletes who know something about sharing their sport’s spotlight – NFL icons Tom Brady and Peyton Manning. OK, it’ll be a fun team event (Mickelson-Brady vs. Woods-Manning) and nothing that hints of fierce competition. Except, there is this: Just seeing Woods and Mickelson in the same setting makes you long for those times when they were in the heat of battle, so why not reminisce on those nine times when they finished 1-2 in a PGA TOUR tournament. One man’s opinion in which order they rank: RELATED: How to watch: Capital One’s The Match | How it works: Capital One’s The Match 1. 2005 Ford Championship at Doral Course: Blue Monster, Trump National Doral Miami in Doral, Florida Winner: Woods at 24 under, one better than Mickelson. (Third place was another four strokes back. This was a true two-man show.) Through 54 holes: Mickelson on the strength of 64-66-66 was 20 under; Woods, thanks to a third-round 63, was next, at 18 under. The stage, as they say, was set. Final round: It lived up to the billing and anyone who was there would likely tell you it felt like all 35,000 people in attendance walked all 18 holes with the heavyweights. “It was electric,â€� said Woods, who went out in 33 to shave a shot off his deficit as Mickelson turned in 34. Woods making birdie at 10 to tie was riveting, but when he reached the green at the 605-yard 12th and made a 27-foot eagle putt to go two in front, the ground shook. Mickelson, however, wasn’t shaken. “I loved it,â€� said Lefty, “because I want a chance to compete against him at his best.â€� Mickelson proceeded to birdie the demanding par-3 13th and beguiling par-4 14th to pull even. “That shows you what kind of competitor Phil is,â€� said Woods. The deciding blow came at the par-4 17th, Woods’ birdie helping him shoot 66 to overtake Mickelson (69). Why it is memorable: Mickelson was in the midst of arguably his greatest stretch of play. He was the reigning Masters champ and would win the PGA Championship five months later. He led after each of the last three rounds of the Waste Management Phoenix Open, went wire-to-wire at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, then led after the first three rounds at Doral. That’s 10 straight rounds with at least a share of the lead. That it took Woods’ immortal talents to beat him was golf at its best. Indelible image: On a week when nine of the world’s top 10 were in attendance, it was great theater down to the final drop – a deft 30-foot pitch from light rough at the “Blue Monsterâ€� signature, the 18th hole. “It was right in the heart,â€� said Mickelson of his birdie try to tie. “It was tracking with 3 or 4 feet to go … â€� but it slipped wide. 2. 2000 Farmers Invitational Course: Torrey Pines, San Diego, California Winner: Mickelson at 18 under; Woods finished second, four shots back. Through 54 holes: Reaching 16 under, Mickelson led Shigeki Maruyama by two, with Woods tied for fourth at 10 under. Final round: As wild a Sunday as you could have asked for as the star attractions combined for 13 birdies, two doubles (both by Lefty), and three bogeys. When Woods birdied 12 and 13, he was 15 under and tied with Mickelson, who had doubled the par-3 11th. But Woods’ charge crashed to a halt with bogeys at 14 and 16 to shoot 68, and Mickelson birdied 13, 14, 17 and 18. “Sure, I wanted to beat him,â€� said Mickelson, who shot 70. “I wasn’t going to hand it to him, even if it looked like I was.â€� Why it is memorable: Woods was coming off an improbable Monday finish to win the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, his sixth straight win, and the hype was off the charts. Mickelson had not won since August of 1998 and as he approached his 30th birthday, he conceded that he felt the pressure. “It was important for me to win again,â€� Mickelson said. “It was important for me to go head-to-head against the best player in the world and know that I can beat him.â€� Indelible image: The interview room on Friday was jam-packed with media members who were there to cover only one story, a possible seventh straight win for Woods. Only Woods was sitting a whopping six behind and one of the co-leaders was the unheralded Kirk Triplett, and reporters clearly were trying to be respectful, side-stepping questions they wanted to ask. Triplett knew it, too, and laughed. “Where’s Tiger?â€� he said. “Let’s talk about Tiger. That’s why I’m here.â€� 3. 2001 Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard Course: Bay Hill Club & Lodge, Orlando, Florida Winner: Woods at 15-under, with Mickelson one shot back. Through 54 holes: Woods was the leader, at 12 under, one better than Sergio Garcia. Mickelson was tied for fifth at 8-under. Final round: A scintillating bogey-free 66 by Mickelson as he closed the gap and pulled even with Woods with a birdie at the par-5 16th. That put the pressure squarely on Woods, who wasn’t exactly a picture of precision with the driver. He nearly went OB left at the 16th, then at 18. Yet again, though, Woods proved saturated in the “itâ€� factor as he somehow made birdie at 16 to tie and 18 to win. Why it is memorable: This is how unreal the “Tigermaniaâ€� was in these days. The man had not won any of his first five tournaments of the season (three top 10s and a pair of T-13s) and the media pronounced him to be “in a slump.â€� The win put a halt to such rubbish; even more importantly, it ignited a run of four wins in five starts, including an unforgettable Masters that gave Woods four consecutive triumphs in major championships. Plus, not lost on Woods was the fact Mickelson had won twice at his expense in 2000. “It was nice to sneak one out on him,â€� said Woods. Indelible image: An overhead blimp shot followed the flight of Woods’ last drive of the day, a nasty hook at the 18th that clearly was veering wildly left toward out-of-bounds territory. Then, incredible fate for Woods, who was tied for the lead with Mickelson – the ball bounced and struck a spectator (identified as Tony DeKroub) flush in the neck and his girlfriend could be seen picking up the ball. That was a second piece of good fortune for Woods, as he was entitled to a drop and from 195 yards, he rifled a 5-iron into the breeze to 15 feet. It would be the first of several tournament-winning birdies at Bay Hill’s 18th hole. 4. 2002 U.S. Open Course: Bethpage Black, Farmingdale, New York Winner: Woods at 3 under, the lone red number on the final board; Mickelson was next at level par. Through 54 holes: Woods was 5 under, Sergio Garcia next at 1 under; Mickelson and Jeff Maggert were tied for third at even. Final round: Three-putt bogeys at the first two holes jolted Woods, but he righted the ship and played his next 13 holes in 2 under to maintain control. Gifted that early momentum, Mickelson squandered it with bogeys at Nos. 4 and 5 and never could he get any closer than two. It was hardly an inspiring finish – Mickelson bogeyed 16 and 17, Woods bogeyed 16 and 18 – which matched the mood of the day, damp and dark. A 49-minute rain delay coupled with 3:30 p.m. local tee times meant the marquee names played the final holes in uncomfortable dusk. Why it is memorable: Because it was the U.S. Open that introduced us to a beast of a golf course; because it was Woods’ eighth major win and seventh in his last 11 starts; because Woods became the first player since Jack Nicklaus in 1972 to win the Masters and U.S. Open in the same year; because even the precocious Sergio Garcia begrudgingly praised the mighty Woods, even if he overrated his own chances when he said: “He’s the best, but I plan on getting better and stealing some majors away from him.â€� Indelible image: Actually, call it an indelible sound – not the loud roars for a dominating champion, but the even louder ones for a guy who was now 0-for-40 in the major championships. “I have never seen a crowd behind a player the way they were today with Phil,â€� Maggert said. Indeed, this was the week New York decided it was in love with Phil Mickelson. 5. 2009 TOUR Championship Course: East Lake GC, Atlanta Winner: Mickelson at 9 under, with Woods second at 6 under. Through 54 holes: Kenny Perry led at 8 under, two shots better than Woods, while Mickelson and Sean O’Hair were tied for third at 4 under. Final round: Should you need to define “flawless,â€� you might want to start with this gem by Mickelson. His bogey-free 65 featured four birdies on the front nine as he left everyone chasing his dust. Equally impressive on the back, even if he did make just one birdie (No. 16) Mickelson was two better than the next-best round on a day when only seven of 30 competitors broke par. Woods bogeyed No. 1, added another bogey at the 13th, with his only birdies coming at the 15th and 16th holes. Why it is memorable: Barring improbable circumstances (Mickelson is closing in on age 50, of course, and Woods is 44), it might go down as the ninth and final time these icons finished 1-2. Indelible image: The two biggest stars of their generation stood side-by-star, glistening trophies in their hands. Mickelson owned crystal for winning the TOUR Championship; Woods embraced the FedExCup trophy. Awkward? Not to Mickelson. “I like the way today went. I was two back of him. I beat him by three. He gets a $10 million check and I get $1 million (actually, $1.35 million). I’ve got no problem with that. I just love holding this.â€� 6. 1998 Sentry Tournament of Champions Course: LaCosta CC, Carlsbad, California Winner: Mickelson at 17 under; Woods was T-2, at 16 under. Through 54 holes: Mickelson was the sole leader at 13 under. David Duval was 12 under, John Cook and Nick Price both 11 under. Woods was tied for seventh, five shots behind Mickelson. Final round: When Mickelson stood on the seventh tee, he heard a roar. Woods had eagled the par-5 ninth to go out in 31 and at 13 under he was just one behind the lefthander. “My mind-set changed,â€� Mickelson said later. “I knew I had to attack.â€� Woods got to 14 under with a birdie at the 10th, momentarily pulling even with Mickelson. But Mickelson’s attack plan worked; he made birdies at the ninth, 10th, 12th and 13th to get to 18 under. Woods played his last eight holes in just 2-under and couldn’t catch Mickelson, whose sloppy bogey at the 18th made it appear tighter than it was. Why it is memorable: Hard to believe, but the spotlight had been thrust upon young major-winners in 1996 and 1997, guys named Woods and Justin Leonard and Ernie Els. “For me not to be competing on (their level) was disappointing,â€� Mickelson said. With a closing 64, Woods had his share of media attention after and was asked about his rival being without a major championship win. “That will come very shortly. There’s no doubt about that,â€� said Woods. Indelible image: After his 12th career win, Mickelson said his wife, Amy, needed a new car. She told Phil that he should just “win the Mercedes,â€� but he didn’t like that sort of pressure. So, he walked into a showroom and bought her a car, one week before he held off Woods to win the Mercedes, which offered a new car as part of the prize. 7. 2007 Deutsche Bank Championship Course: TPC Boston, Norton, Massachusetts Winner: Mickelson at 16 under; Woods, at 14 under tied for second with Brett Wetterich and Aaron Oberholser. Through 54 holes: Wetterich led at 13 under, one ahead of Oberholser, with Mickelson third at 11 under and Woods next at 10 under. Final round: Paired together in the penultimate group, the megastars both talked of not forgetting that Wetterich and Oberholser were in the mix in this, the second tournament of the FedExCup era. The crowd, however, didn’t seem to think that way. “We had a Nationwide Tour gallery,â€� quipped Oberholser, conceding that the show was clearly in front of him all day. But even Woods would confess that the spotlight belonged to Mickelson. Lefty went out in 32 to get four strokes ahead of his arch-rival and neither player in the final group applied much pressure. (Oberholser shot 69, Wetterich 70.) Though Mickelson doubled the par-4 12th, he matched Woods’ birdies at 16 and 18 to protect his two-stroke cushion. Why it is memorable: It was the sixth time Woods and Mickelson were paired together in the fourth round of a tournament and for the first time, Lefty posted a lower score (66 to 67). “The next thing will be to pair up with him and do it in a major,â€� said Mickelson. (He’s still waiting for that opportunity.) Indelible image: Mickelson’s festive week in Boston included a Saturday night game at Fenway Park with wife Amy and their three young children. Insisting he is a proponent of staying the entire game and even then “20 or 30 minutes more, just to let things die down and kind of relax,â€� Mickelson and his family were richly rewarded when unheralded Red Sox righthander Clay Buchholz fired a no-hitter against the Orioles. 8. 2000 TOUR Championship Course: East Lake CC, Atlanta Winner: Mickelson at 13 under, with Woods second at 11 under. Through 54 holes: Woods and Vijay Singh shared the lead at 10 under, with Mickelson one shot back. Final round: Give Mickelson credit, he was prophetic. Loved his position, he said, because he could make birdies out in front that Woods and Singh would be forced to match. But who knew it would happen that quickly? A Mickelson birdie at the first and a Woods bogey at the third put the lefthander into a lead he did not relinquish. Mickelson, with four birdies on the front nine, shot 66, while Woods closed with 69. Why it is memorable: Woods had not coughed up at least a share of the 54-hole lead since his rookie season, September of 1996. But in this season of nine victories, let the record show that twice Woods was beaten down the stretch, by Mickelson at Torrey Pines and here at East Lake, and the value to his confidence was priceless. “I did not really expect him to win. I thought I had a pretty good chance,â€� said Mickelson. Indelible image: Vintage Mickelson, waxing romantically about Bobby Jones to leave East Lake members teary-eyed. “I feel like I’m part of Bobby Jones’ legacy,â€� he gushed, “and there’s another hometown even of his two hours away that I’d like to be part of.â€� His dream came true, but not until four years later when he won his first Masters. 9. 1999 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational Course: Firestone CC, Akron, Ohio Winner: Woods at 10 under; Mickelson was second, at 9 under Through 54 holes: At 11 under, Woods had a five-shot lead over Fred Couples and Nick Price, with Mickelson at 4 under, tied for fifth. Final round: On a day when only four players broke par – there were two 69s, a 68, and the magic produced by Mickelson, a seven-birdie- 65. He had five in the first seven holes and from out of nowhere he was in contention. A birdie at the 11th got Mickelson to 10 under, but chances for a startling victory evaporated when he bogeyed the par-5 16th and par-4 18th. Woods, meanwhile, slipped home a 15-foot downhill putt at 17 to pull two in front and a bogey at the 18th gave him a 71 and one-shot victory. Why it is memorable: It is the season when “Tigermaniaâ€� hit another level and this was the fifth of his eight wins. Just two weeks earlier, Woods had won the PGA Championship and when he held on to beat Mickelson at Firestone, it set in motion a four-tournament winning streak to end 1999 that carried over to 2000 when he won two more to make it six in a row. Indelible image: Each man received what was at the time their largest paychecks for a single tournament — $1 million for Woods, $510,000 for Mickelson. Neither seemed impressed. “It means I’m a million richer,â€� shrugged Woods. “I need to get a little tougher on the last few holes,â€� sighed Mickelson.

Click here to read the full article…

The second tournament of the West Coast swing will be the Farmers Insurance Open located at the picturesque Torrey Pines in San Diego, California. This tournament will be the 54th year Torrey Pines will host the Farmers. Like last week, the tournament will play over multiple courses, the South and North Course. Golfers will play on both in the opening two rounds and move to the South over the final 36 holes. Both courses play as par 72s, with the South measuring at 7,765 yards on poa annua greens and the North playing shorter and more manageable at 7,258 yards. The North Course will be putt on bentgrass greens. The field is 156 golfers deep and will host six of the top 10 golfers in OWGR, including Dustin Johnson (+2200, $10,300), who is making his PGA TOUR season debut. Set your DraftKings fantasy golf lineups here: PGA TOUR $800K Pitch + Putt [$200K to 1st] STRATEGY Torrey Pines won’t be yielding a ton of birdies, as we’ve seen over the past few weeks. Winning scores have been as low as 6-under to as high as 21-under in the past, meaning coastal weather conditions will play a factor if they show up this week. A mixture of efficiency Off-the-Tee and SG: Approach-the-Green will be the formula for success this week. The previous five winners are gaining an average of 1.76 strokes per round over the field with their ball-striking. The South Course is a behemoth, with seven par 4s measuring over 450 yards. Over the previous five years, golfers hit the fairway about 10% less here than the PGA TOUR average. Accuracy isn’t a prerequisite to winning this tournament, as was evident with Marc Leishman’s victory, where he only hit three fairways in the final round. Driving it in the short grass helps, but total driving with an emphasis on distance should be the preferred profile to target. We’ve also seen lower greens in regulation hit percentage here against the PGA TOUR average, with longer approach shots predominantly coming in from over 175 yards away. Our roster choices need to be trending with their long-irons or have a short game similar to Patrick Reed (+5000, $8,700) last year, leading the field in SG: Around-the-Green and finishing top 10 in SG: Putting. When building rosters, stacking lineups with golfers in a specific tee draw may do the trick. Over eight years, from 2011 to 2018, the eventual winners started on the South course, not being forced to play it three days in a row. This trend has been challenged recently with the last three winners (Justin Rose, Marc Leishman and Patrick Reed) all starting on the North Course. GOLFERS TO CONSIDER Tony Finau (+2500 to Win, $9,100 on DraftKings) If there’s ever a week to feel “confident” in Finau, it’s here at Farmers. We know how good of a ball-striker he is, but he becomes a short-game wizard in San Diego, ranking first in SG: Around-the-Green, and 18th in SG: Putting over the prior 30 rounds at this tournament. He’s also tied for first in SG: Total over his career at Torrey Pines, which has translated into two top-6 finishes, a top-5 and a runner-up finish last season since 2013. He’ll be chalk, but he’s cheap enough to roster this week. Will Zalatoris (+3000, $9,200) should also be on your shortlist of golfers to consider in SoCal. The former Demon Deacon shot a 61 in Round 2 last week and is hitting the ball exceptionally well, ranking inside the top-20 in ball-striking over the previous two dozen rounds. Zalatoris’ seventh-place here last season proves this poa annua set up on the South Course fits his game nicely. Max Homa (+7000 to Win, $8,400 on DraftKings) There’s a ‘buy-low’ opportunity with Matthew Wolff (+5000, $8,500), but we’ll save that for the betting article and side with Homa, who is a better option in totality this week. Homa won the Fortinet Championship five starts ago and finished ninth here in 2020 to go along with his top-20 last season. A couple of Homa’s recent wins at Quail Hollow and Riviera CC share similarities with Torrey Pines in their traditional, Tee-to-Green setup, making him a solid play in this range. Maverick McNealy (+4500, $8,200) also deserves a nod at this price. Another California-born player, McNealy has been on a solid run, finishing no worse than 27th in his previous four starts. McNealy’s top-15 here two seasons ago came from an all-around short-game performance. If he’s able to mix his current ball-striking prowess to go along with his work around and on the greens, he could be in line for a good week. Set your DraftKings fantasy golf lineups here: PGA TOUR $800K Pitch + Putt [$200K to 1st] Put your knowledge to the test. Sign up for DraftKings and experience the game inside the game. Place your golf bets at DraftKings Sportsbook or by downloading the DraftKings Sportsbook app. All views expressed are my own. I am an employee of DraftKings and am ineligible to play in public DFS or DKSB contests. The contents contained in this article do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (IL/IN/MI/NJ/PA/WV/WY), 1-800-NEXT STEP (AZ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO/NH), 888-789-7777/visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-BETS OFF (IA), 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY), visit OPGR.org (OR), call/text TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN), or 1-888-532-3500 (VA). 21+ (18+ NH/WY). Physically present in AZ/CO/CT/IL/IN/IA/MI/NH/NJ/NY/OR/PA/TN/VA/WV/WY only. Eligibility restrictions apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for full terms and conditions.

Click here to read the full article…